With the USA failing to meet global emissions targets, it’s now more important than ever that consumers and homeowners take matters into their own hands and work to ensure that they reduce their own personal carbon footprints as much as possible.

 

As your home accounts for 17% of your carbon footprint, reducing the emissions it produces and making it more environmentally-friendly are both key ways you can do your bit towards keeping our planet alive. Here are some tips on how you can improve the sustainability of your home.

 

Create a Compost Heap

Composting your household food and natural waste can help you to reduce the amount of trash that goes to landfill, and also return nutrients to the earth. Create a compost heap in your garden, or if you don’t have your own outdoor space then use a food waste recycling bin so someone else can compost your food waste on your behalf.

 

Find Alternative Energy Sources

Heating, lighting and powering a building are among the most environmentally damaging aspects of any property if you’re using fossil fuel sources such as oil or natural gas. As such, you should try and find an alternative energy source such as wind turbines or solar panels. You can find out how many solar panels you’ll need to power your home and how they could save you money and reduce your impact on the environment in this guide by homeprofessionals.org.

 

Update Your Appliances

Most old appliances are not environmentally-friendly and use more energy than they need to, so find some more sustainable and energy-efficient products so that you can reduce the impact your home has on the planet. It’s not just technology you need to consider; look out for appliances that have energy-saving functions, such as fast washes, so that even while you’re using your product, you’re saving energy.

 

Collect Your Rainwater

Rainwater can be treated and used in a variety of applications, or you can simply use it to water your garden. However you decide to use it, you should install a collection tank to catch and hold excess rainwater and ensure that nothing on your property goes to waste.

 

Insulate Your Property

Wasted energy is not good for your bank balance or the environment, so minimize the amount of heat loss from your home by investing in quality insulation. You also need to think about whether or not your windows and doors are letting hot air out and cold drafts in, and if they are, then you should look into finding replacements for them also.

 

Plant More Trees

If you have a garden then planting trees is a great way to help the environment, as they absorb carbon dioxide and harmful toxins and produce oxygen. They clean the air and also make a great habitat for many creatures, birds and insects. Consider planting a few small trees in your garden if you have space so that you can help the planet and the local ecosystem at the same time.

 

 

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